The joys of creeping charlie…?
This morning I found a message in my inbox from a fellow in Ohio:
“In any temperate climate, rich-soil, damp, slightly to somewhat shady place (like much of Minnessota’s environment and any low area between two rivers)… this ivy is FAR easier to maintain as a groundcover than grass. It won’t get tall, it won’t go away, and it displaces the other plants in it’s place. It will dominate a yard with only slight maintenance, if the yard is the right conditions and it is mowed two or three times mid-late in the season.
This ground ivy is here in N. America because it was brought here from Europe by settlers who desired it’s many valuable qualities. It was especially useful to the settlers for it’s various herbal/medicinal and culinary purposes. It is very fortunate for us that this excellent plant has taken root in the wilds surrounding the midwestern N. American forests, and so shall remain available to us into the distant future. ”
Sorry, Mr. Ohio, but this doesn’t fly.
As much as I’m not a fan of blue grass lawns, I cannot condone encouraging a highly invasive non-native species as a substitute.
I don’t consider it fortunate at all that it has taken root in the wilds. It displaces natives that are a vital part of the food web, severely threatens diversity, and costs millions of dollars each year trying to get it under control.
How is that a good thing? A few people finding some medicinal benefit to it out ways all that? I don’t think so.
I hope he never moves to Minnesota.
Tags: invasive species
April 18th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
To Mr. Ohio
Dear sir – as you post comments that make no ecological sense – and also seem so have no idea that each individual plant has a Genus and specific epithet – what “ground ivy” are you talking about that our beneficent european for-fathers left for our benefit? – as europeans & the european gardening paradigm have brought many gems to our shore – I should tell that the state of Washington has just recently found the common sense to outlaw one of these danged things – English ivy – Hedera helix – (one of your favorites I’m sure) -due to its environmentally devastating tendencies.
You have this sense that if the stupid thing manages to survive in your own poorly managed landscape – it must be ok – I don’t like your poorly manged landscape – thank you very much!
I prefer to live in an ecologically rich landscape – something I would call – The Garden of Eden.
While you can have no concept of what this means – my garden has many many species of plants in it – it has a lot of bugs too – because of that – a lot of fish – a lot of birds – and a lot of other animals I would want to share this garden with – Keep your Stupid lawn of european “ground ivy” – Petyer
April 19th, 2010 at 5:22 am
Sorry, my fault for not including that. He was commenting on Glechoma hederacea, a.k.a. creeping charlie, ground ivy, gill-over-the-ground…
May 8th, 2010 at 7:36 am
Instead of insulting people and condoning their practices, why not try being encouraging and nice about it? People in general don’t know about these types of things, so be what you claim to be– an education site and not a hater of ignorant people! Boy, nothing like turning people off from your site. Quit snubbing your noses and be REAL educators.
May 8th, 2010 at 7:37 am
meant to say “condemming” not condoning
May 10th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
John, I do not intend to insult people but Petyer is far less tolerant. Mr. Ohio knows very well the invasive nature of Glechoma hederacea, a.k.a. creeping charlie, as do most people who have ever had to battle it in their yards (myself included). People like Mr Ohio are part of the problem. They don’t generally care about the local ecosystem and the damage they cause. He never responded after I wrote back to him with reasons why creeping charlie is A Bad Thing, and I was not insulting about it. His lack of response says a lot to me. Had he written back I probably would not have blogged about it.
cheers,
Katy Chayka
June 16th, 2010 at 1:39 am
I only wish MN would ban this creeping charlie. It got into my lawn about 5 years ago. I have battled it with repeated spraying of what I was told to use. some years it was worse so 2 years ago I sprayed all the lawn it was in with a product that killed my lawn also. i didnt care, I got rid of it OH ya/ This spring, 2010 it came up in my whole yard. Now one place where it has not invaded. I have a large yard and am on a lake so I cant spray the whole lawn and kill it.
Now I have to have someone come in with the know how and spray it. He told me its hard to kill and will take several sprayings but the spray will not kill the lawn. this is going to cost me a arm and leg for some years to come. I hate the stuff, and have written and asked that it be put on the NO list for this state.
June 29th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
So, instead of getting angry, why don’t you provide a list of what plants would be beneficial in the lawn after explaining nicely what is wrong with the non-native invasive?
I am struggling to come up with such a list for my region (Southeastern Pennsylvania). I would welcome suggestions and corrections and would like to see similar lists for other regions.
Here is my list:
• Blue eyed grasses (Sisyrinchium, several species) not a true grass but a member of the iris family, with pretty blue flowers.
• Cinquefoils, (Potentilla).
• Wild strawberries (Fragaria, several species). The five lobed leaves of this and those of cinquefoils are very similar in appearance.
• Yellow violets (Viola pennsylvanica), and other kinds of violets too.
• Spring beauties (Claytonia)
• Wild geraniums, crane’s-bills (Geranium)
• Azure bluets (Houstonia caerulea).
• Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) has been used as ground cover sometimes.
• Speedwells (Veronica), there are several species, some of them are native others introduced.
• Wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), used as ground cover by some gardeners.
September 29th, 2010 at 2:09 am
Glechoma hederacea, a.k.a. creeping charlie is not difficult to control in a yard if you are willing to use a herbicide designed for broad-leaf control in lawns. Treatment should be done when the plant is actively growing in late spring/early summer or late summer. Do not cut the the grass in the area for two week before spraying, this will allows the plants to present all their foliage above the grass and it will produce larger leaves. Spray your herbicide at the recommended concentration (keep in mind that it is against the law to use any pesticide in a way that is not recommended on the labeling) Slow acting products are more effective than those that promise results in 24 hours. (You want creeping charlie to take in the herbiced and translocate it threw out its body – quick acting produces often kill the foliage befor the herbiced is moved into the stems).
Do not cut the area after treatment but spray again in one week. After the second spraying you can cut the area in five days.
One reason that creeping charily is difficult to control in yards is that lawn mowing forces the plants to produce much reduced leaves and long leafless spreading stems that do not have a good surface area to take in the herbicides used on it.
Adjoining flower beds and edges are usually where new invasions originate after successful treatment.
Simply stated – don’t mow for a few weeks, spray, then spray again a week later.
May 5th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
My husband and I virtually rid our yard of creeping charlie w/o any chemicals. By good old yard work. It’s actually very therapeutic to get your hands into the soil. It takes time, and every year a little comes up, ut not much any longer – as it comes up, we’re on it and it’s gone again. The only reason it comes back is because neighbors still have it. I’m very happy with the fact that we refused to use chemicals to kill it because it would have also harmed our soil, plants, flowers, trees. We are planting a vegetable garden this year and I have no worries on whether or not my soil could poison us. Good luck to all.